


Wicked Game

by brooklyn1967



Category: Hamilton - Miranda, Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - High School, Anxiety, Child Abuse, Foster Care, Gen, M/M, Panic Attacks, Past Sexual Abuse, Rape, Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-26 01:15:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13846965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brooklyn1967/pseuds/brooklyn1967
Summary: Alexander Hamilton has had a rough past. Moving between foster families. But maybe his time with the Washington's will be better. Especially when he makes friends with a group of misfit teens and John Laurens becomes part of the picture.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Rise Up](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6080439) by [ohNooOOOOoo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohNooOOOOoo/pseuds/ohNooOOOOoo). 



> I haven't done any fic writing in so long so please let me know what you think! This is based off ohNooOOOOoo's Rise Up fic so make sure you go and check that out! I have put my own twist on it though. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Anything underlined is said in French. :)

"Now Alex, the Washington's don't usually take in foster kids so you better behave. I don't want to be driving back to Virginia anytime soon once I get back to New York." Mr Fairfax continued lecturing Alex. Alexander Hamilton could see the sweat on his forehead from where the heating was turned up so high in the car but Alex was freezing. He hadn't been able to warm himself up since leaving Nevis. He was currently in Mr Fairfax's car on his way to a new family in Virginia. He knew this was going to be the last time he saw the social worker. Alex was 16 and a waste of time for the workers in their eyes. This was his last chance at having a family until he was left by himself, and his hopes weren't high. Thinking about it, Alex could feel his breathing starting to go ragged with the panic of it.  _One, two three. One two three._ He tried to calm himself down. The aching in his ribs wasn’t helping.

"Here we are." Mr Fairfax later stated they were pulling up to the house of the Washington's. First, they had to go through some tall, grand gates. Gates were never a good sign, Alex thought to himself. They were always trapping you in. They drove down a long driveway with tall trees either side of the road. At the end was a house, bigger than any building Alex had stepped foot in. "Get out Alex, the Washington's are waiting for you." 

Alex picked up his bag with his small number of belongings stuffed inside and got out the car, shivering as he did. At the top of the stairs, a man and a woman had emerged from the doorway. Both with dark skin and quite tall.

“Ah, George! Good to see you again!” Mr Fairfax called at the man as he made his way up the stairs. So these are the Washington’s. Alex followed the man up the stairs towards the couple.

“George, Martha, meet Alex. I’m sure you read his file.” Alex couldn’t help but see the side-eye Mr Fairfax gave him then. Alex wasn’t allowed to read his file but he could imagine the things it said:  _Alexander Hamilton an orphan from the Caribbean. Prone to violent outburst so bad that his previous foster families have refused to continue housing him._

“We did indeed,” George said and then turned to Alex.

“Well, I’ll leave you guys to it.” Mr Fairfax turned around and headed back down the stairs, not even looking at Alex as he said, “remember our talk Mr Hamilton.”

Alex could see George and Martha examining him as they took in his bruised face and knuckles.

“Hello,” Martha piped up breaking the silence that had fallen. “I’m just cooking dinner so why don’t you go with George, dear, for the tour of the house and then come down for dinner.”

**_“Welcome Alex,” Christopher Atkinson stated. “Welcome to our humble abode.”_ **

**_“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Alex replied, “Thank you for allowing me into your family.”_ **

**_“Don’t mention it, my boy. This is your bedroom,” Christopher continued as they walked into a small bare room with a single bed and a wardrobe. “It’s not much but it’s something.”_ **

**_“I’ve never had my own space before sir, it’s great.”_ **

**_Hamilton had only been in America for a few days and things were starting to look up. That was until Christopher put his hand a bit too far down Alex’s back as he turned to leave._ **

George had just shown Alex his room and was finishing up the tour. The house was massive, but Alex knew that looks weren’t everything. That evil could look like an angel and would bite you before you knew it.

“I know, it’s a bit bland but you can get decorations for it when we go shopping for your school supplies tomorrow,” George finished up what he was saying. “Son, are you alright?”

“I’m not your son!” Alex snapped between quick short breaths.  _Fuck. Shit._ Now he was going to be kicked out. He didn’t even last a day.

“Come on now Alex, deep breaths.” George tried gripping onto Alex’s shoulders but he flinched away. His legs felt weak like he was going to collapse any moment and the rest of him felt tingling. Like tiny needles were covering his skin.  _One, two, three. One, two, three._

“ _Mon ami,_ what’s wrong?” a male voice asked from behind Alex. He managed to turn his head to see a teenage boy with curly dark hair pulled back into a bun and wearing vibrant clothes. He was tall but everyone was tall when Alex was five foot seven.

“Lafayette! We weren’t expecting you back till later.” George exclaimed.

“My flight was early, Martha thought it would be good if I came up and made acquaintances.” The boy, Lafayette, explained as he walked around and knelt in front of Alex who was now on the floor. “You are Alex,  _non_?”  Alex nodded, calming slightly that he wasn’t alone anymore with George.  “Why don’t you give us both some time together pére.”  Alex heard footsteps walking away from the boy and him which meant George was giving them space. More likely, he was probably going to talk to Martha about phoning Mr Fairfax to come and collect him.

“You’re okay,  _mon ami._ May I put my arms around you? You look cold.” Alex _was_  cold with goosebumps covering his skin, so he nodded aLafayettette put his arms around him. Eventually, Alex’s breathing had slowed down and Lafayette let go of him.  

“Thanks,” Alex murmured. “I guess I should leave now. The Washington’s won’t want me staying here any longer.”  

“Leave?!” Lafayette exclaimed. “ _Non,_  you look exhausted how about you rest for the night now. I’ll explain to them that you don’t feel like dinner. They’ll understand.” Alex nodded. He might as well rest before he makes his own way back to New York tomorrow after being kicked out. He doesn’t know what he’ll do but he’ll figure it out.  

With help from Lafayette, he stood up and made his way into his room. It was fairly big with a big double bed covered in blankets and pillows, a wardrobe, desk, the usual.

“Let me know if you need anything,  _mon petit lion._ ” Lafayette left the room and Alex locked the door behind him. He pulled all the blankets and pillows of his bed and placed them on the floor, setting up where he would be sleeping. Alex couldn’t face sleeping a bed since he got to America, it was made even worse by the events with the Atkinson’s. The thought made him feel sick. 

- 

“Something’s not right Martha,” George stated as he got down to the kitchen after leaving Alex with Lafayette. Being with the teenager seemed to have calmed him down more than George could. “He’s just having a panic attack. Lafayette is dealing with him, I was making it worse.”  

“Those bruises are a lot worse than I was expecting,” Martha commented, thinking the same as George. "You don't get them just from a fight."

“His file said he had violent outbursts but I’ve hardly seen any anger or violence in him since he got here.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's chapter one! Leave any constructive criticism down below and tell me if you liked it! What do you think of the style and pace? I hope you enjoyed! Subscribe if you did because chapter two will be coming soon and maybe we'll meet a certain John Laurens. ;)


	2. Two

The clock on the bedside table read 2:23 am and Alex was awake, lying on the floor. He had managed to get two hours sleep which was pretty good, considering he was in a new house with strangers.  

Bored of his own thoughts Alex got up and placed the bedding back onto the bed from where it was on the floor. He got his leather-bound notebook and his pen out from his bag and left his room, hoping that the Washingtons wouldn’t mind him being up so early if he was quiet. He was still in his clothes from yesterday, so he didn’t need to get dressed and made his way to the living room.  

Alex sat on the sofa with his back against the armrest, with his feet up on the sofa, using his legs as a desk as he wrote. He wrote about what had happened recently. He wrote about Nevis and his thoughts.   ** _“_**

**_I have a present for you, Alex.” Rachel Hamilton smiled as she entered their house. Her face covered in exhaustion but happy nonetheless. She made her way into the kitchen where Alex was sat at the table reading a book that was falling apart. Alex was always ready and writing, he was such a smart boy._ ** **** **_Alex looked up from where he was reading as Rachel passed him the leather notebook._ ** **** **_“For your writings.” She smiled._ ** **** **_“Thanks, ma,” he grinned flicking through the empty pages, thinking of all the things he could write about._ ** **** **_A week later Alex fell ill with a fever that the doctors couldn’t diagnose, and Rachel quickly followed._ ** ****

What seemed like only five minutes later, but must have been more like five hours later, Alex heard footsteps come down the stairs.  “Oh, Alex!” Martha Washington said, poking her head through the living room door. “I wondered why the light was on.”  “Good morning Mrs Washington,” Alex responded. “Should I pack my bags?”

“Pack your bags?” Martha started before she realised, Alex thought he was going to be kicked out. “God, no, Alex. You’re stuck with us now I’m afraid. Call me Martha, dear and call my husband George. Did you not sleep well last night? You’re up early.” She rambled on before Alex could overthink anything. 

“I slept fine thanks, Mrs-“ He started to respond before he saw the look on Martha’s face. “Thank you, Martha.”

“As long as you’re sure, let us know if there’s anything we can do to make anything better for you.”

“Who are you talking to Martha?” Alex heard George call down the stairs. Thinking that his time to write was over he closed his notebook and tied it up with the leather string that was attached. 

“Alex honey, he’s already up.” Martha responded. George entered the living room wishing Alex a good morning and kissing Martha on the cheek.

 “I forgot to go through the rules yesterday Alex,” George told him. Of course, there were rules, there were always rules. Don’t talk unless spoken do. Be seen but not heard – actually don’t be seen either. _Don’t say no._ Alex could feel the panic rising. “Nothing to worry about son, just respect us and clean up after yourself. If you’re not going to be home for dinner let one of us know. Respect our boundaries and we’ll respect yours.”

 _Is that it?_ Alex thought to himself. Those weren’t rules those were common courtesy.

“I understand. Sorry about last night. Lafayette thought it best if I rest.” Alex apologised. 

“Don’t worry about that. I think Lafayette was right. Did you get much rest? You look exhausted.” George sat down in the armchair at the other side of the room, a newspaper in hand. Martha had left the room and was now returning with two cups of tea in hand. She handed one to George and then one to Alex.

“Something to warm you up.” She smiled at him because as always, Alex was cold, and she could probably tell by the slight shivers he gave every now and then.

Alex hadn’t seen himself in the mirror that morning, but he could guess what he looked like. His messy, slightly auburn, hair tied up in a messy ponytail. Purple bags under his eyes matching the dark bruises that covered the left side of his face. Alex told George what he had told Martha, that he had rested fine and thankfully, took the tea from Martha giving it a careful sip.

“Alex! Good morning! How are you doing now? You gave us all a fright yesterday, mon petit lion.” Lafayette greeted in French as he entered the living room.

“Lafayette, you’re speaking French again.” George chuckled from where he was reading the newspaper. The Washington’s had settled in the living room, George reading the newspaper and Martha watching the morning television which Alex watched mindlessly as well.

“Oh, I am sorry. I forget that I’m speaking in French sometimes. I didn’t get to properly acquaint myself yesterday, _mon amie._ I am Lafayette, well that’s what people call me. I’m a foreign exchange student, who the Washington's so graciously hosts.” Lafayette waffled. He had a habit of talking non-stop.

“It’s okay,” Alex replied, “I’m okay. Thanks for your help last night. I’m glad you’re here and I’m not alone. I’m Alexander Hamilton, I’m from Ne-the Caribbean.” It hurt to think about Nevis, so Alex went with the Caribbean instead.

“You speak French as well?! I’ve never met an American our age that can speak French as well!”

“Boys, remember not everyone has your language talents.” George reminded them put his newspaper away. “You can speak French Alex, that’s quite impressive.”

“Uh, yeah and Spanish. They were the three most common languages on my island and mum thought it important that I be able to converse properly with everyone.” Alex wasn’t used to these congratulations, he was used to be reprimanded not celebrated.

“That really is incredible.” Martha entered the conversation. “I thought you two boys could go into town together. I’ll give Lafayette my card, so you can get the equipment and clothes you need, I’ll write a list of what you need to get.”

“You really don’t need to.” Alex mumbled, he didn’t deserve their kindness.

“Don’t be silly Alex. Now go and get ready so you can miss the chaos later. Don’t forget to have breakfast before you leave either!”

 

-

 

Alex was in the car on the way to the mall with Lafayette in the driver’s seat. The French teen had passed Alex a granola bar as they left that house, but Alex had slipped that into his bag, that had travelled with him from Nevis, with the idea that he would eat it later.

“So, if we go into the electronics shop first and then stationary for school supplies. Then finally – clothes!” Lafayette practically sung the last word. Alex took in the other teens colourful attire and instantly knew Lafayette was going to be an interesting one to shop with. He had a blue scarf round his neck, a red shirt, floral jeans and a hat with a wide brim. He had bracelets up his arms. Alex had never really gone shopping for him before. They couldn’t afford shopping sprees in Nevis and his foster families never cared that he got the supplies that he needed. He was glad that he had Lafayette to guide him on this adventure.

 

-

 

By the time Alex and Lafayette got home, Martha and George were cooking dinner in the kitchen together.

“You get everything you need?” George smiled as they entered the kitchen to let them know they were home.

“ _Oui!_ _Mon petit lion_ is all prepared now!” Lafayette grinned as he started carrying Alex’s stuff upstairs to put into the boy’s room with Alex following and by the time they had put all of Alex’s stuff away, Martha called them down for dinner.

Alex had never seen as much food as was on the Washington’s table before. He sat in the place next to Lafayette, opposite George and started to eat small bites.

“Why don’t you tell us a bit about your life before coming to us Alex?” George questioned, placing a forkful of food into his mouth. “You come from Nevis.” Alex flinched at the name of his island. Of course, George knew where he had come from, he had read his file, but it was still a shock.

“Uh, yeah. It was always so warm there. The beaches were like nothing you’ve seen before.” Alex replied, trying to avoid personal details. Pushing down the emotions that came with the thought of his home. 

“What made you leave, _mon cher?_ ” Lafayette asked oblivious to what the answer would be.

“Laf-“Martha started reprimanding him but Alex interrupted her. It might be good to get a little bit of this off his chest. He could trust the Washington’s, right?

“There was a hurricane. It destroyed the whole island. I wrote about it and the Islanders were impressed so they tried to get me to the states.” He explained.

“And your family?”

“My mother- “

**_Heat. He was burning from the inside out. Continuous throwing up. His mum was sat next to the bed they shared, placing a cool cloth on his forehead. The doctor told her that it wasn’t looking good._ **

“I made her ill.”

**_His mother was lying next to him, her arms around her boy as they tremored together, a doctor checking up on them both. His mother went still._ No. _Alex though._ This can’t be. _He was meant to die, he had been sick for the longest._**

Alex’s mind was trapped in the past. He couldn’t get that fever out of his head. The feeling of his mum going slack in his arms. He had to get away from it, he had to escape. He pushed away from the table. Breaths short and shaking. He ran he didn’t know where to but he couldn’t stop, he needed to get away from the horrors of his past.

He ran out the front door and then he was falling.

“ _Mon amie!”_ He heard a voice above him. Alex felt distant. He was still in Nevis. In his bed, as his mother passed away holding on to him. “I never meant to cause distress! I am so sorry.”

The pain was everywhere. So much pain. Then nothing.

 

-

 

He woke up on the couch with a throbbing in his head and pain covering his body. _God, he was so cold._ Alex opened his eyes but closed them quickly realising the light wasn’t going to make him feel any better.

 “Alex, I am so sorry, _mon petit lion._ ” He heard Lafayette rush to his side. “You’re so cold, why don’t you put your shirt back on? We had to take it off to check you had broken anything and to bandage you up.” 

Put his shirt back on? Alex was topless. What had they done to him while he was asleep? He opened his eyes and snatched the t-shirt that Lafayette was holding out for him. He could feel his breathing quickening, but Lafayette managed to calm him down before it got too serious.

“I’m going to get George and Martha to check on you, now you’re awake,” Lafayette told him and saw the fear in Alex’s face as he did. “Don’t worry I’ll stay with you as they do.” Lafayette squeezed his hand before leaving the room.

 Alex tried to sit up, wincing as he did. What had happened? His head was throwing, his chest was sore, and his wrist was indescribable. There a few cuts covering his arms and his wrist was wrapped up in ace bandages.

George and Martha entered the room with Lafayette following him.  
  
“That was quite a fall down the stairs there, son,” George told him as Martha started checking him over asking what hurt and what didn’t. “I think we should talk. What is all this panic about? You need to get these things off your chest.”

“I-“Alex started.

“You don’t need to tell us now. You’ve already told us enough for tonight about your mother, but I just request you think about telling us the whole story.”

 

-

 

After Martha had checked him over, Lafayette helped Alex get up to bed and once Lafayette had left his room, Alex pushed all the bedding onto the floor once again, and made his nest there, despite the complaints his body gave him, and he refused the comfy bed.

George and Martha were sat in the living room.

“I’m going to call Fairfax and inquire about what he knows about this boy,” George told his wife. “He needs help.”

“I agree but maybe we should wait for Alex to tell us.”

“We can’t wait, have you seen the state he’s in. He constantly looks exhausted like he doesn’t rest even though he says he does and it doesn’t seem like he’s eating much. Maybe we should wait with sending him to school, so he can settle in a bit more before that as well.” 

“Maybe a routine will help him, Lafayette will look after him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so maybe I lied and John wasn't in this chapter but I promise that he will be in the next and we'll meet the rest of the gang. I also promise there will be less angst in the next chapter! 
> 
> As always comment constructive criticism and the things you liked. What do you think of the pacing and writing style? 
> 
> Also, can we appreciate that I've managed to write two chapters in one day? 
> 
> Go check out my tumblr (applyingtheiratze) because I'm looking for a beta if you're interested!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and subscribe if you are!


	3. Three

The next day started the same as before. Alex waking up during the early hours of the morning and sneaking downstairs to write. He wished he could do some reading as well but didn’t own any books so would have to wait to get to the school library. He had got just over three hours sleep the night before, which was good for Alex, but his body still ached with pain from the fall and he was still exhausted.

Lafayette drove him to school but had to leave him in the office when the bell went off to signal the start of lessons. Alex got welcomed by the deputy headteacher and was given a tour around the school by an Aaron Burr. He wasn’t really Alex’s cup of tea, but he was nice enough, if not a bit annoying.

By the time they had finished the tour, it was break so Alex went to the library to read and write. He then had double maths before lunch, which Alex was good at but he had always enjoyed words so much more than numbers.

By the time lunch came around, Alex followed the rest of the students to the cafeteria. He was disappointed that Lafayette hadn’t met up with him today, hoping he would have at least one friend at school, but Alex knew that the people that you needed in your home life weren’t always the same people you needed in your school life, so he shrugged it off with a twinge of sadness.

“They’re just a bunch of queers. This is why we shouldn’t let immigrants into this country.” Alex heard a voice say just before he reached the dining hall. It was coming from a pair of boys.

“A waste of American oxygen if you ask me.” The other boy replied. Alex couldn’t help himself, he walked up to the two boys. He had the wit and smarts to debate this boy and if there was an outbreak of silence, then Hamilton knew how to hold his ground. He had enough practice with his past foster families. He might have been small but he was also scrappy.

“You do realise this country was founded on immigration, right?” Alex told them, arms crossed.

“And who are you?” the first boy with blonde hair asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“Alexander Hamilton. Now, why don’t you do us all a favour and stop being a hateful git.”

“There he is now.” The second boy smirked, looking over Alex’s shoulder.

Alex turned around to see Lafayette and two other boys. One with dark skin, short hair and who looked a bit like a jock. The second had tanned skin, curly hair tied up in a bun and oh so many freckles. He was gorgeous. Alex quickly got out of his trance as Lafayette waved at him and started heading towards him, muttering something to his friends who followed.

“Lee. Seabury.” Lafayette glared at the other two boys. “Alex, why don’t you answer your phone. I’ve been messaging and calling you all day.” Alex pulled out his phone and saw a bunch of texts and missed calls from Lafayette. He had forgotten he had a phone now, after their shopping trip the other day. It was a shock that Lafayette had wanted to hang out with Alex and hadn’t been avoiding him.

“So you’re a friend of the fags are you, Hamilton?” The blonde one, Lee, said to Alex.

“What did you call him?” Alex snapped.

“I called him a fag, you got a problem with that?” Lee responded smirking.

“Yeah, I have actually.” Alex took a step towards him, trying to hind his wincing as he did, as he tried to seem threatening.

“You want a fight? Look at you, you couldn’t beat me if you tried. Why don’t you and your butt buddies run off now, like good little queers.”

“Leave him, Lee,” Seabury whispered. Alex’s anger was too much and punched Lee in the jaw leaving him stumbling and before he could throw another punch, Alex felt arms wrap around him holding him back.

“Woo! Look at that. You punched Lee. I don’t know who you are, but you are now welcome to this.” The dark friend of Lafayette’s cheered.

“Leave him be _mon amie,_ let’s go get some lunch, _oui_?” Alex realised Lafayette was the one holding him back and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before nodding and following the three boys into the cafeteria. They quickly collected their lunch and sat down on a bench hidden in the corner. Alex was sat opposite Lafayette and next to the curly haired boy.

“Alex, meet my friends.” Lafayette grinned, once they had sat down. “This is Hercules Mulligan.” Lafayette pointed to the guy that was sat next to him. “He looks tough but is really a big softie.” Hercules nudged Lafayette while rolling his eyes and gave a quick ‘hello’ to Alex. “The guy next to you,” Lafayette continued, “is John Laurens.”

“Hey.” John smiled at him. Up close Alex could see John’s freckles and nearly got lost in them. He blinked twice and waved at both of the new boys politely.

“We were going around Herc’s for a movie night tonight if you wanted to join Alex?” Lafayette asked him. “I’ll message George that we won’t be home for dinner.” The idea of being in another stranger’s house sent panic through Alex but then he saw Lafayette give a reassuring smile and nodded his head.

“That would be great. Thanks.” Lafayette would be there to protect him. He would be fine. “Lafayette, please promise me something. It might sound pathetic, but I need reassurance.” 

“What is it, my friend?” Lafayette knew it must be something important to Alex if he was using French, so the other two boys wouldn’t understand what he was saying.

“Promise that you won’t let them hurt me. I’m in so much pain from the fall and from-“Alex stopped himself before he revealed too much. “I can’t be hurt again anytime soon.”

“Of course. I promise and us French never break our promises!”

The rest of lunch went on with the other three boys talking amongst themselves and accepting that Alex didn’t feel like joining in all that much. Although Alex knew that he could probably trust any friend of Lafayette’s, he was still weary. He couldn’t let his guard down so easily.

“Are you not going to eat anything?” A soft voice asked him. It was so close to him it made Alex jump and turn to face John who had spoken. “Sorry to scare you. You just haven’t eaten much and Laf was explaining earlier how you had hardly been eating since you arrived at the Washington’s.”  
Was John concerned? He couldn’t be, he didn’t know Alex and yet, his face showed all the signs of concern.

“Is this a thing with you?” John questioned. “You and food?”

“Uh, no. Not in the way you’re thinking. I just- I forget, or I don’t have an appetite, so I think I’ll eat later but I never do.” Alex didn’t have big meals in Nevis so not eating much never really bothered him. He ate enough most of the time to keep him going. 

“Eat Alex. Stop us all from worrying.” John gave a warm smile and went back to his own food.

 

-

 

After lunch, Alex had history which was a lesson he was grateful to find out that he shared with Hercules and Lafayette. They were learning about the American revolution which Alex already knew all about, but he still wrote down notes, coming up with new debates and arguments to do with the topic.

The lesson went by quickly with the three boys chatting every now and then about the work.

“I just don’t understand it, I haven’t managed to get anything down. I’m alright at maths and stuff but history is not my game, man.” Hercules sighed, running his hands through his hair as he left the room.

“You can borrow my notes if you like, you might understand it a bit better than from the textbook.” Alex offered, getting out the paper he had shoved into his tattered bag and handed them to the taller boy.

“Woah how much did you write? How did you write so quickly?” Hercules flipped through the stack of paper in amazement.

“ _Mon cher,_ writing like he’s running out of time.”

 

-

 

At the end of the day, the boys all met up just outside the school office and hopped into Lafayette’s car that he borrowed from the Washington’s. Alex was in the passenger seat with John and Hercules in the back. They soon arrived at Hercules’ house which was average sized, unlike the Washington house and when they all arrived they headed into the basement.

“My mums not home,” Hercules told them. “She’s doing a night shift tonight.”

“Excellent, so I can sing Disney at the top of my voice!” Lafayette did some flamboyant hand gesture as he said, which Alex thought was meant to represent him singing. Alex could hear Hercules and John grown as he said it.

Once they got into the basement, Alex was amazed by what he found. There were a couple old couches in the centre facing a TV and next to it was bookcase filled with DVD’s, books, cd’s, vinyl. There was a large carpet covering the floor and blankets covering the couches. There was a door at the other end of the room which was open, and Alex could see a bed through it, that must be Hercules room.

“What do you think?” John asked him, walking up to him. “Herc has a pretty good place, eh?”

“It’s incredible.” Alex smiled. It was a teens dream.

“Alex, make yourself at home, the other two always do.” Hercules rolled his eyes as he gestured at Lafayette who had already spread out across one of the couches and John followed to do the same on the other.

“Hey Alex, this couch has a better view.” John gestured at Alex to sit next to him. “Trust me.” Alex was going to go and sit next to Lafayette but what harm could sitting next to a cute boy do? And Lafayette would still be in the same – wait. Had Alex called John cute? Alex couldn’t get too attached. He wouldn’t be able to handle someone else leaving him but sitting next to him wouldn’t cause any damage. Alex sat on the same couch as John.

“So I’m assuming we’re all agreeing on watching the _Hunchback of Notre Dame,_ ” Lafeytte mentioned as Hercules watched towards the case of dvds.

“We watched that five days ago Lafayette.” Hercules shook his head.

“And a million timed before that.” John piped in. “Alex should decide what Disney film we watch tonight.”

“I’ve never seen a Disney film before.” Alex told them and the shocked look on their faces made him explain himself, “My island, we couldn’t afford much technology. My other foster families, I never really had much control over the television.”

“You’ve never seen a Disney movie? What! We must educate you!” Lafayette rushed out.

“Laf, you’re speaking French again.” Herc laughed. “We understand you’re shocked. We must show you the ways of Disney magic, Alex. Sit back and enjoy the ride.”

They started watching a film about a Scottish princess that Alex couldn’t remember the name of. It was starting to get colder in the basement though and John picked up on it. 

“Why don’t we share this blanket?” John suggested, pulling a blanket off the back of the couch. “You look freezing. This way you can share my body heat as well as the warmth of the blanket.” Alex was cold, so he moved closer to John as he wrapped the blanket around them both. John’s body heat was comforting, and Alex could soon feel himself drifting off to sleep.

 

-

 

George was in his study on the phone to Mr Fairfax.

“Are you sure it was just that Alex was violent. Nothing provoked him?” George asked down the phone. 

“Nope, nothing serious that we know of anyway. He’s not bothering you too much is he George? You are my last hope.”

“No, not at all. Send me all the information you know about his previous foster families as soon as you can please.”

“Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank so much to everyone who's read and given Kudos to this so far and here is John as promised. 
> 
> Please comment and give advice and feedback! I'm also still looking for a beta so let me know if you're interested. 
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter and subscribe so you know when I post the next one!
> 
> Also i have changed the title! it was Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story but is now Wicked Game inspired by the song by Ursine Vulpine and you'll see why later in the story (also this will also be the theme song for lams)


	4. Four

Alex woke up to darkness. He slowly sat up and realise he had been leaning on John who had his arm around his. He looked across to the other couch and could roughly see the outline of Lafayette resting his head on Hercules' lap as they both slept on.

Alex felt better for the extra few hours sleep he'd managed to get even if he wasn't entirely rested, however, he didn't think he would know that feeling for a while to come. He felt guilty about falling asleep during the film and even worse for falling asleep on John. How could he be so stupid? But John had put his arm around him, so he couldn't be that angry right?

Thinking of John, Alex heard grumbling coming from the other boy who had removed his arm from Alex and was now rubbing his eyes awake.

"Shit, sorry, did I wake you up?" Alex whispered as he turned to the other boy.

"Don't fret. Why don't we move to the kitchen upstairs, so I can get some water and to make sure we don't wake up the other two." John recommended. Alex pushed down the anxiety that started to rise. If Laf said that he could trust John, then Alex would try. Things were starting to feel different here then they had at the Atkinson's and the Chaney's. Alex still had his guard up, he couldn't get too attached because he knew they would all leave eventually, but they were different.

Alex followed John upstairs and into the kitchen. The kitchen wasn't big, but it was attractive.

"God, it's only 12.30," John checked his phone. "I thought I'd slept for longer than that."

"What time did we fall asleep?" Alex asked trying to calculate if that was enough sleep to last him the next day or if he would have to try and force himself to sleep again later.

"You fell asleep around eight I think," John told him. "We then started watching 101 Dalmatians and drifted off halfway through the film I think." That was four and a half hours, surprising. But that meant…

"Shit, did I fall asleep on you?" Alex rushed out, his face burning. John did some sort of breathy laugh.

"Don't worry about it, you looked like you needed the sleep, and besides I also fell asleep on you so we're both to blame here." John grinned. "I'm going to make myself a hot chocolate, do you want one?" John pulled two mugs out of a cupboard and started making the two drinks before Alex could answer.

"Won't Hercules or his mum mind that we're just raiding their cupboards?" Alex asked not wanting to get on the bad side of anybody anytime soon.

"Pfft, Laf and I are basically extra sons to Herc's mum. They won't care." John finished making up the drinks and passed one mug to Alex, he stood next to him and both boys leant on the counter taking sips of their drinks.

"So, you're from the Caribbean?" John asked Alex hoping to gain information about this boy. He was so intriguing. Laf had only told him and Herc that the Washington's were adopting four days prior.

"Yeah, Nevis." John couldn't help but notice sadness cover Alex's face as he said it.

"Do you miss it?"

"Every day."

"I'm from Puerto Rico. We left when I was seven, my parents believed America would hold better opportunities for me. I miss it too." John explained. "My mum died a year after arriving here. So now it's just me and my dad though." John shook his head and Alex knew there was something there, between John and his dad.

"I'm sorry about your mum," Alex told him. If John was opening up to Alex it was only fair that he opened up a little as well. "My mum died just about two years ago. We were sick and she was holding me. Both of us trembling with fever until she just stopped."

"Shit Alex, I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to." John turned to face Alex, scanning the teen's face to check he was alright. But Alex didn't enjoy telling John but it was a relief. Like something tiny had been lifted off his shoulders. What was it about John that was starting to make him feel so comfortable. "We're here for you. I'm here for you. You seem to be holding a lot of grief and you can talk to me about it." Alex just smiled in response.

After a while of idle chat, both teens went back downstairs. John couldn't stop yawning so decided he should probably get some more sleep. Alex just sat on the couch and pulled out his leather notebook from his schoolbag and using the light from his phone screen, started writing.

He wrote about his days in Virginia. He wrote about Laf and the Washingtons, Hercules and John. He wrote about how he was still haunted by his past but maybe things were going to change this time. He had felt like his world had turned upside down since his mum had died and maybe, things won't go back to how they were, but they would continue turning until they were the right way up again. For the first time in a long time, Alex genuinely smiled to himself, thinking of the possible friendships he could make with these three.

-

The next day once Alex and Lafayette got home from school they sat in the living room together doing their history homework.

"I was just joking before, mon amie, but you really do write like you're running out of time." Lafayette's eyes widened as he looked over all of Alex's notes.

"It's how I got out of Nevis," Alex replied absentmindedly, not paying attention to what he was saying.

"Huh."

"After the hurricane, I wrote a bunch of articles that got published, they landed in the hands of the right person and they helped get me over here in America, into child protection services," Alex told his friend, he was starting to feel good about talking about the basics of what happened in Nevis, a bit here and there.

"I can see why they were impressed."

Lafayette and Alex worked side by side helping each other every now and then.

-

"There's meant to be a storm coming in tomorrow," George told them as they all sat down for dinner. "Shouldn't be too bad but just be prepared with coats and everything."

"You have got a coat, haven't you?" Martha asked George.

"Of course, I chose a lovely yellow one for him when we went shopping the other day," Lafayette answered for him. Gushing over the coat that Lafayette had demanded Alex got when they were in the shop.

"Are you okay Alex?" Martha asked him, as she noticed Alex's eyes widen in what could only be described as panic.

"A storm?" Alex had never been scared of storms until the hurricane.

_**Thunder rolled. No. There was a scream. His scream.** _

_**"Get up and stop screaming." Chris roared, pulling Alex up by the arm, leaving bruises where his fingers gripped tight.** _

"Yes honey, you should be home before it comes in though. It's nothing to worry about." Alex just nodded in response. It was just a storm. Nothing to worry about. That's what they thought about the hurricane.

-

"I gained some information about Alex today," George told Martha as they lay in bed that night. "He went through a lot, just before he came to America, let alone what happened after that. "  
"Are you sure we shouldn't just wait for him to tell us?"

"This is important, he needs help. We need to help him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be so much fluffier than it turned out but apparently, all I'm good at is writing angst. I'll try to work on the fluff I promise 
> 
> remember to give kudos if you liked it and comment any (constructive) feedback or tell me what you're enjoying, what you'de like to see more of etc. 
> 
> hope you're enjoying!


	5. Five

The next day, just after maths, Alex starting to head to the cafeteria for lunch, when he bumped in Lee. Unfortunately for Lee, Alexander’s sleep deprivation had started to take his toll on him, so he had zero patience and very little self-control that day.

“I see you’re truly a part of Lafayette’s special snowflake squad then,” Lee smirked. “I thought you would have had a better judge of character.”

“I’d rather be friends with special snowflakes then fascist pig.” Alex spat out. “Now get out of my way Lee, I don’t have the energy to deal with your shit.” He tried to nudge Lee out of the way to get past but Lee managed to grab the back of Alex’s tee before he could leave.

“What the _fuck_ did you just call me?” Lee sneered, as he walked back up to Alex, getting as close to the smaller boy as possible, trying to be intimidating. Alex was used to situations like this. They didn’t intimidate him anymore.

**_“You ungrateful son of a bitch.” Mr Chaney sneered at him, looking down at Alex as he got threateningly close. Alex just stood there, knowing what was to come. He wasn’t going to waste his breath on him. He could put up a good fight, he had had to learn how to defend himself, but Mr Chaney was much bigger than Alex, so it was better not to increase his anger anymore._ **

Lee was different. He was taller than Alex but also slender so at least he didn’t have a bigger build. Alex could tell Lee wanted to fight him. The twitch in his fists, the curling of his lip. They were signs that Alex was used to and quite frankly, Alex was ready for it.

“I called you a fascist pig. You got a problem with that? I thought it was quite fitting actually.” Lee threw the first punch as it hit Alex on the left side of his face. He was faster than Alex was used to. Alex stumbled back before blocking another hit coming his way and managed to knee Lee in the stomach and then punch him in the face.

“Alex?” He heard a voice behind him. The adrenaline was rushing through his body and he didn’t realise what was happening as his body went into auto-pilot.

“You motherfucker,” Lee grunted. “Your prince in shining armour coming to rescue you?” Alex went for another blow but Lee blocked him and managed to trip him up, causing his already damaged ribs more pain.

“Lee stop!” The new arrival yelled and then there was the sound of someone getting hit.

“Boys! What is going on here?” Alex heard a women yell. His body wasn’t listening. Alex grabbed Lee’s ankle and managed to pull him down as he pulled himself up and kicked Lee in the stomach.

Hands gripped Alex’s arms and pulled him back. Alex struggled to get away at first but started to calm down as he realised what was going on. _Fuck._ He shouldn’t have done that. Alex looked around. Lee was pulling himself up off the floor. There was the deputy principal, with her hands on her hips. The boy let Alex go and he turned around to see who it was.

“John? What are you doing here?” John Laurens was standing behind him with a hand to his nose. Lee must have caused him to have a nosebleed, the sound Alex heard earlier must have been Lee hitting John. 

“Lee. Hamilton. Laurens.” She shouted at them. “What is going on here?”

“Ma’am, John had nothing to do with this.” Alex quickly rushed to his friend’s defence. “Lee threw the first punch.”

“That’s enough Mr Hamilton.” The teacher told him, and Alex shut his mouth. “All three of your detention, this evening.”

“But there’s a game on tonight.” Lee pleaded, of course, he was a jock, Alex thought to himself.

“Fine, Lee tomorrow evening. I don’t want another angry conversation with the coach. Hamilton and Laurens, I still expect to see you tonight.”

“What, that’s so unfair-“ John started.

“John wasn’t even involved-“ Alex said at the same time.

“Do you want to make that tomorrow night as well?” The boys stood quiet, with Lee glaring at them. “Good, I’ll also be calling all of your guardians to let them know about this unruly behaviour. Go see the nurse boys.” The deputy principle walked away from them, her high heels clicking as she went.

“This is all your fault, Hamilton.” Lee shoved Ale as he walked past causing him to wince.

“Back off Lee,” John shouted in return.

Once Lee had left, Alex started apologising profusely. “I’m sorry you got in trouble John. It’s so unfair you didn’t even do anything, and Lee threw the first punch.” _Had he ruined his friendship with John? God, this was all his fault,_ but John just gave him a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry about it, I just wanted to make sure you were alright,” John told him. “It’ll be fun to see my dad’s reaction to the news.” John bit his lip. _Fuck._ The Washington’s were going to find out about this. “We should probably go get you checked out by the nurse though and get me some tissue for this.” He pointed to his still bleeding nose. John lead the way to the nurse’s office and explained roughly what had happened.

The nurse was a kind, gentle lady with blonde hair who just shook her head when she listened to John. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you had been involved.” She raised her eyebrows at John when he told her that he really hadn’t had a part in the fight. “You get into trouble quite often, don’t you?” She instructed Alex to sit on the medical bed that all nurse offices have, and John sat in the chair next to it with a tissue now for his nose. It eventually stopped bleeding and John washed his hands and face to get all the blood off.

“Your face is starting to bruise, I expect that’ll be dark in the morning and there might be a bit of swelling so hold this to where it hurts while I do the rest of my checks.” The nurse told Alex as she handed him an ice pack. “I’m just going to prod your ribs now to check nothings broken. That okay?” Alex nodded. The instant the nurse’s fingers touched his ribs Alex could help but move away in pain. This really hadn’t helped his previous injuries.

“Nothing seems broken but your chest seems severely bruised. Lee did this to you, you say?”

“Yes, miss.” _No._ Alex could tell the nurse wasn’t convinced but thankfully she didn’t press the matter.

“Alright, well you both can go back to lunch now. Make sure you rest and it might be a good idea to put more ice on your face tonight when you get home.” She instructed him. “John, it’s a good thing your nose isn’t broken, that would be a lot harder to deal with.” The boys nodded and thanked her as they left. 

Alex checked his phone as he left the room. He had some texts and missed calls from Laf asking where he and John were, and by the sound of Johns mumblings, so did he.

“Now I know that Lee doesn’t put up that good of a fight,” John said, on the way to the cafeteria, for real this time. “How’s your chest so injured?”

“Just some trouble I got into before I arrived with George and Martha.” John rose his eyebrow. “I was asking for it. Nothing big.”

John could tell Alex didn’t want to talk about it so he dropped the conversation. When they arrived at the cafeteria they were met with an ambush of ‘where’ve you guys been’, ‘what happened’, ‘why do you look in pain’.

“Lee.” John simply stated. “I don’t exactly know what caused the fight but I’d quite like to know.”

“Lee picked a fight with you Alex, that _batard._ ” Lafayette grumbled. “What happened?”

“Lee was saying shit about you guys, so I called him a fascist pig,” Alex mumbled, not knowing what to expect from the others.

“That’s my boy!” Herc hollered, bouncing in his seat. “Tell me he looks worse.”

“I put up a pretty good fight.” Alex grinned when he realised the others weren’t going to get mad at him, in fact they were all grinning and Hercules let out a loud ‘whoop’.

“We have both got detention tonight even though I didn’t even do anything.” John moaned, stealing one of Laf’s fries.

“Well I don’t endorse physical fights, but I will say _well-done Alex, and thank you for sticking up for us. Lee deserved what you gave him.”_ Lafayette smirked, slapping John’s hand away from his food.

-

At the end of the day, Alex went to his detention which was to be held in one of the English classrooms as the deputy principal was busy that evening and wouldn’t be able to host the detention herself, so she got someone else to hold It for her. Mr Maddison just got them to do some extra homework in silence for an hour before sending them off.

Near to the end of the detention, there was a sudden burst of thunder and lightning every so often. The storm that Martha had warned Alex about was here and every time they occurred, his mind was sent back to Nevis. Alex concentrated on the words he was writing, hoping that the storm would finish soon, or that he would make him home and hide in his room when the worst of it occurred.

It was when Alex and John were walking down the corridor that the storm started to pick up. Alex’s hands were trembling as John was muttering about a new film that was coming out soon. Lafayette and Hercules had agreed to wait in Laf’s car for them, so they could still get home without walking through the rain.

Alex’s shaking increased and his breath quickened as he approached the doors that lead outside to the car park. Alex could hear John asking if he was alright but couldn’t process a response. As soon as he reached the doors he froze. All he could hear was the pounding of rain and the roar of thunder. And then there was darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more angst as always. going to get some fluff in the next chapter hopefully though if i actually manage to write it lol 
> 
> as always comment on what you thought of this chapter! any ideas for future chapters, story progression, ways to improve, anything! subscribe to know when i upload next and give kudos if you're enjoying it :)


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